The Bare Essentials
by somethingratherrandom
Summary: Ianto notices a few strange changes in his body. What is the reason? How will it affect both him, and the rest of the Torchwood team? Mpreg, Swearing. Most reviewed Mpreg in Torchwood gendre :-
1. Chapter 1

Title : The Bare Essentials

Rating: PG-13

Synoposis: Ianto notices a few strange changes in his body, What is the reason and what Can he do to stop it?

Disclaimer: All these Characters belong to the BBC, I just use them for my own silly purposes.

Authors note: This is an idea that I have had running round my head for a few weeks now, All advice appreciated as i have only ever done one shots before, and I intend this to be a longer story. Thankyou!

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Ianto groaned and fumbled in the early morning light to find the snooze button. He found it and batted it before lying back with a groan.

"Why do I feel so tired?" He thought as the fog in his mind started to lift. Before lying back on his bed and started to stretch out.

After what felt like a few seconds, the alarm started its incessant beeping once more, and Ianto swore and swang his legs around the side of the bed before turning it off.

Finding his dressing gown he stumbled to the bedroom, cursing when he stubbed his toe on the bit of skirting board that had come away from the wall. Kicking it back into place, He vowed to do some DIY that weekend, his quiet little flat had become neglected from all the time that he had spent at work over the last few months.

Going into the bathroom, he slipped off his bedclothes and jumped into the shower, gasping as the water froze him before gradully warming up.He washed quickly, before rinsing off and getting out, wrapping a clean towel around his waist. Looking in the mirror whilst brushing his teeth shocked him.He was pale and eyes bloodshot. "Ianto you really need to get to bed earlier" he mumbled to himself.

He dressed quickly, in a smart suit and tie, choosing carefully. He dressed and glanced in the mirror whilst doing his tie. Dispite it sitting perfectly, Ianto undid and tied it again twice more before making his way to the kitchen for his usual breakfast of two coffees and the Daily Mail.

He switched on the machine and fetched the paper from the doormat. Walking back into the kitchen he smelt somthing that made him feel slightly queasy. Looking for the source his eyes settled on the coffee machine. He frowned slightly before turning it off and lifting the lid. Pursing his lips, His first thought was that the coffee had gone past its sell by date, but checking the pot showed that there was at least another two months left. "bloody Tescos" he frowned before throwing it in the bin.  
He tucked his paper under his arm, before finding his keys and wallet and made his way to the door, he would just have to drink what there was at the Hub.

Taking his keys out he locked his door and checked it, then unlocked it and locking it again. He then did it a third time, satisfied, He set off in his car to the hub.

Ianto throught he would be alone as the large cog door rolled back, but once inside he could see Owen performing an autospy on a corpse in the medical bay

"Morning teaboy" He called, without looking up "black no sugar, ta"

Ianto sighed and made his way to the kitchen area. The coffee was already in the pot, presumably made by Own a few minutes earlier.  
Pouring the coffee into the prepared Mugs, Ianto felt the same nausea as from before. Deciding that it must be the way Owen had made it, he poured himself an orange juice, and took Owens coffee down, smirking at the thought of the Doctor drinking his own disgusting coffee.

"ta" said Owen, glancing at him as he took the offered cup. The corpse had been put away and the man took a gulp of his coffee, before returning to his paperwork.

"is it good, the coffee i mean" Enquired Ianto

"as always" replied Owen, before a suspicious look came over his face "why, what did you do to it?"

"nothing, nothing at all, it just smells funny"

"nothing wrong with it" Owen said with a frown before taking another sip "you sure you didn't do anything?"

"I swear, Maybe i'm coming down with somting, the coffee at my house smelt funny this morning too"

"I can't think of anything that would cause coffee to smell funny." Owen mused. "Do you have anything eldse wrong with you?"

"Nothing, except i'm feeling a little more tired than usual"

"Maybe i should give you a quick MOT"


	2. Chapter 2

Title : The Bare Essentials

Rating: PG-13

Synoposis: Ianto notices a few strange changes in his body, What is the reason and what Can he do to stop it?

Disclaimer: All these Characters belong to the BBC, I just use them for my own silly purposes.

Authors note:Thankyou all for your reviews! Just wanted to clafify a few points that were made. Firstly "A Quick MOT" Is a cute term that is used by the Doctors that i work with, It simply means to go over a patient in general (Blood pressure, Pulse, reflexes etc) Secondly i would like to apologise for the state of this chapter when it was first submitted. As i only have notepad to work on, I find it easier to submit the file to documents and then do spelling and grammar checks, i somehow seem to have posted it, This is the altered version. I hope that this didn't put anyone off the story, as i am really enjoying writing it.

Ianto sat on the edge of the table, legs dangling over the edge,  
in the last hour, he had had his temperature taken (slightly warm but nothing to worry about) Blood pressure (hmmm,low side of normal) and been poked and prodded until he was bruised. He had finally had a blood sample taken ("Just a little prick""Thats what all the girls say"), which Owen was testing at the moment.

"Hmmmm" muttered Owen

"What, what is it?" asked Ianto as he jumped off the table to join the Doctor.

"You have the strangest hormones present , well strange for a bloke,  
if you was a woman this would be completely normal."

"Why?"

"Because you have hCG, hCG in abundance"

"And...?" Ianto said impatiently "What is that"

"Its a pregnancy hormone, but I can't figure out what it's doing in your system."

"How much? Is it worrying?"

"Well, An hCG level of less than 5mIU/ml is considered negative for pregnancy,  
and anything above 25mIU/ml is considered positive for pregnancy."

"How much do I have?"

"1237 mLU/ml, its indicative of being around 6 weeks pregnant, well in females anyway" Owen said, shrugging.

"But what does it mean for me?"

"It means, my lovely little Teaboy, that we're going to get the ultrasound scanner out."

"Don't be ridiculous, I'm not going to be pregnant am I?"

Owen looked at him with a cocked eyebrow.

"Come on!?" Ianto laughed nervously, running a hand through his fringe.

"We have a Dinosaur living in our secret underground lair where we dissect aliens and play with alien artifacts that fall through a big hole and you are telling me with absolute certainty that there is no way that you could possibly be up the bloody duff?!"

Ianto paused for a moment.

"Aye, you'd better get it, yeah."

Less then ten minutes later, and after lots of swearing, Owen had found his old ultrasound machine and jelly and was rubbing onto Iantos stomach

"Whatever happened to bedside manner, you could have warmed it first" Ianto flinched

Owen sighed and started to rub the scanner over Iantos stomach, looking on the back wall where the image was being projected. What was at first a grainy image cleared, and showed and accurate view of Iantos insides

"See, I told you, no baby."

"Yeah maybe I was wrong"

Ianto made a move to clean some of the sticky Jelly off his stomach.

"Now if you don't mind...?"

"Wait... Whats that"

Owen pushed Ianto gently back and moved the scanner lower. On the wall behind them, an image of a little human, with barely dicernable arms and legs

Ianto crained his neck to look behind him in shock, whilst Owen picked up a dictophone off his desk

"White male in mid twenties appears to be carring human fetus" he croaked into it "Fetus is developing eyes ears and nose , a primitive cranium and ribs and has a fully functioning heart"

Ianto was staring at the screen, "It can't be real?" wirring around his head. He watched the babys heart thump on the screen, in tandam with the sound of his own heart beating in his ears. Hot and cold sweats repeated over him,  
and the lights seemed suddenly so bright. He didn't notice the cog opening until he heard the voice belonging to the one person that he didn't want to face right then.

"What the HELL is that?!"

It was only then that his own teary eyes met the wide shocked expression of the newcomer.


	3. Chapter 3

Title : The Bare Essentials

Rating: PG-13

Synopsis: Ianto notices a few strange changes in his body, What is the reason and what Can he do to stop it?

Disclaimer: All these Characters belong to the BBC, I just use them for my own silly purposes.

Authors note: Thankyou for your kind reviews, have been in the market for a beta reader, and have been using online grammer and spellcheckers. The only thing i dislike about it is Jacks reaction, so I am considering writing a one-shot focusing on Jacks feelings during this scene, what do you all think? Hope you enjoy this chapter!

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"What the Hell is that?!" Jack asked for the second time, voice soft.

"I believe its called a Embryo still at this stage Sir." Ianto answered, looking to Owen for confirmation

Owen just nodded in agreement

"I kinda got that, but what's it doing inside you?"

"Your guess is as good as mine sir"

Owen cleared his throat as he started to pack away the ultrasound machine

"I'm going to do a few DNA tests, with your permission Ianto, just to make sure that it is what we think it is, and not just some sort of parasite that's latched onto you."

"What do you mean?"

"I just want to make sure that its not a cuckoo in your nest mate."

Ianto nodded, not quite understanding.

"what do you have to do?"

"You have a fully functional womb and ovaries, I'm just going to take a sample of ectopic fluid from the womb, which will have the fetus's first skin cells in it. Then test them against your own DNA, If there is a match there, You've got a hard decision to make, if not, you have an easier decision to make"

Ianto nodded.

Jack cleared his throat

"We need to have a meeting about this" He said eventually, becoming practical after the shock had faded away

"Yes sir"

"Tosh and Gwen will be here within a half hour or so, will the test be done by then?"

"Should be" answered Owen, "I'll have the cell sample away, might have to wait for the results from the machine"

Jack nodded and began to walk away, before looking back and calling

"Do you guys want a coffee"

"Noooo..." Groaned Ianto, already feeling sick at the sight of Owen advancing on him with a large needle.

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It was decided that the meeting should be held in the medical room, as the DNA results had not been confirmed yet.

"So Ianto is carrying a baby" Asked Gwen, for the third time

"Yes" Answered Owen impatiently

"That's amazing!" Said Tosh, who just seemed pleased by the whole thing.

"Not that amazing, theres already that bloke who's had his" insisted Gwen

"Yeah but he was a transvestite, he doesn't really count." Said Tosh thoughtfully

Gwen looked at Ianto strangely

"You're not a transvestite are you Yan?"

"No!" Exclaimed Ianto.

"can we get back to the subject in hand?" Jack barked.

Owen nodded in agreement

"The Embryo is around 6 weeks old, What was we doing six weeks ago?"

Tosh pulled a diary from her pocket

"I keep a log of rift activity," She said leafing through and smiling shyly at Ianto "Six weeks ago it was quiet, nothing coming through except the odd bit of junk."

"Can you remember any strange things happening at home Ianto?" asked Jack with raised eyebrows

"Nothing, although I remember that for around the time the rift was quiet I spent extra time in the archives sorting out some really old stuff from the 1930's that had been locked away. Most of it seemed useless though" He replied thoughtfully.

The Machine beeped and started to print out a reading, which when finished Owen ripped off.

He raised an eyebrow before passing it to Ianto, who looked at it, raising an eyebrow before crumpling it up and putting it in he pocket

"It is mine" He said, before schooling his features into a straight face. "We should go down to the archives and I'll show you what I found, Maybe someone can get a translation on some of the artifacts."

Tosh and Gwen nodded, making their way over, followed by Owen.

Jack remained behind, watching Ianto put his waistcoat and tie back in place

"why do you always undo it an redo it Yan?" He asked

"Habit, sir" he said with a small smile.

"What did the paper say?" asked Jack, becoming serious.

"That the baby was biologically mine"

"And?"

"And what?" Asked Ianto looking at him

"Well the saying goes it takes two to tango?"

"Can we not do this here Jack?" Pleaded Ianto rubbing his face with his arm

"Come to my office later?" Jack asked, more of a plea than an order

"Come to mine tonight, I think in the circumstances I'm going to have to take a holiday day"

Jack nodded and followed the others the the archives.


	4. Chapter 4

Title : The Bare Essentials

Rating: PG-13

Synopsis: Ianto notices a few strange changes in his body, What is the reason and what Can he do to stop it?

Disclaimer: All these Characters belong to the BBC, I just use them for my own silly purposes.

Authors note: Many thanks to those of you that reviewed, to those of you that haven't, remember that reviewing feeds my ego and makes me update quicker, as well as making me a very happy little bunny!

Ianto sighed as he walked to his car. He pushed his key into the lock thrice and got in, He quickly revved the Engine before fastening his seatbelt and pulling away.  
Remembering that he needed to get some grocery shopping he made a diversion to Tesco on the way home. He parked and made his way to the entrance. Picking up a basket, he made his way around the store picking up his usual foodstuffs, Before stopping around the clothing area. Blinking slightly, he realized that his feet had taken him to the baby aisle. Reaching out he gently touched a soft yellow hat. Marvelling at the sight of his, he impulsively picked it up and put it on top of his bread. Walking down the alsie, he felt his mouth become dry as he realized that he didn't know what most of the things were meant to be used for. He picked up a random box on a shelf and began to read the side.

# Stimulates fast milk flow with patented Let-Down Massage Cushion # Clinically proven as effective as hospital electric pumps  
# Includes: 2 x breast milk containers 125ml

Frowning he quickly placed it back on the shelf before staring down at his chest. Giving one pectoral a gentle touch he frowned slightly at the tenderness before looking back up at the box on the shelf. Unbidden, an image of him breast feeding came into his head. Squeezing his eyes shut he pushed back the familiar feeing of an impending panic attack.

"Can I help you Sir?"

Ianto opened his eyes to find a chubby dark haired shop assistant with an open friendly face

"I.."

"Just found out you've got a little one on the way then?"

Ianto nodded feeling the panic fade slightly

"It can be a bit confusing at first, can't it? I remember when my nephew came along, I walked down this alsie not knowing head from tail,  
would you like a bit of a hand?"

"That's very kind of you." Smiled Ianto nervously. Never normally one for pushy shop assistants, he had to admit that he was completely out of his league here.

"How far gone is she?"

"What?"

"Your Missus, How far gone is she?"

"Oh, about six weeks"

"Really early days then, I wouldn't worry about getting loads right now, still its nice to get a few things, makes to more real then, Eh?"

Ianto nodded gently

"You've made a good start there then," She said pointing at the hat "Lets get a few other bits"

Ianto soon found himself in possession of a little squeaky duck, a soft brush and a packet of bibs

"Now don't forget, theres flowers at the front of the store, spoil her a bit, let her know shes loved. Does she get morning sickness?"

"No, at least not yet"

"Well get a pack of ginger nuts, they're really good for that"

Ianto nodded.

"Thanks for your help"

"Anytime sweetheart, come back if you want anymore advice" beamed the shop girl

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Meanwhile down in the hub, the team was working through the huge textbooks written in Iantos neat handwriting, which documented every item he had come across, including a photograph and reproductions of any strange markings. So far they had found a ball that apparently changed colour with the persons mood and was harmless,  
A packet of space hobnobs and a piece of metal that attracted wood instead of metal. At the moment they was looking at a machine that appeared to be shaped tike a dumbbell, and had an alien language written on it which Tosh was trying to find a match for on the computer

"Anything yet?" Asked Jack

"Not so far, what does Iantos notes on it say again?"

"Just "mostly harmless" I think he must have meant to get back to it at some point" Answered Owen

"I've found something that looks similar, hold up the symbols for me to see"

Tosh looked carefully at the book, then back to the screen

"I'm just going to print this out, I think its the same, but its from an unknown race"

Jack nodded and the printer whirred into action, printing page after page of text out

"This could take some time" said Tosh, "Go and get a coffee or something and I'll give you a shout"

A few hours later Tosh walked up the stairs to see the others look at her expectantly.

"I think we've found what we're looking for"

"What is it?"

"Its a gynecological machine, or at least that is the closest I can compare it to. I ran a few simulations on the computer after getting the small bit of information from the text"

She turned towards her computer and slipped a disk in

"When touched, it takes some DNA from the person who touches it and mixes it with a bit of its own information, sending it by electrical signals through the body"

Tosh started the programme, which showed the outline of a woman.

"It really is a revolutionary piece of technology, it basically repairs any damage to the female reproductive equipment"

Clicking a button, the programme ran through a range of different scenarios

"Polycystic ovaries, one missing fallopian tube, both fallopian tubes missing, hostile womb environment, infertility, It basically makes a woman ready to produce"

"So why did it do that to Ianto" asked Jack

"My guess, and it is only a guess, is that the species that made this machine is similar to us, but different enough that the machine saw Ianto as female and wanted to "Repair" him, however that meant growing him a full womb, with its own unique way of being fertilized. Look"

She tapped a few keys and a mans body appeared, in the lower stomach a womb began to grow.

"When Iantos body received... genetic material... it absorbed it and sent the information to mix with one of the eggs that his womb released,  
therefore it fertilized"

"By genetic material you mean.."

"Yes jack, Sperm" Finished Tosh, rolling her eyes

"But that would mean..."

"Most probably"

"I need to go see Ianto" 


	5. Chapter 5

Title : The Bare Essentials

Rating: PG-13

Synopsis: Ianto notices a few strange changes in his body, What is the reason and what Can he do to stop it?

Disclaimer: All these Characters belong to the BBC, I just use them for my own silly purposes.

Authors note: This was the hardest chapter to write so far. I am so desperate to not feminise Ianto any more than is neccsary, let me know if you think I've succeded. Thankyou all for your kind reviews!

Jack pulled up at Iantos house, tires screeching as he pulled to a sudden stop. He jumped out and knocked loudly on the door. There was no answer.

"Oi, you" shouted an old lady peering through a hole in the fence "Keep it down"

"Sorry, Ma'am" answered Jack, hoping to appease her with one of his big grins

"You lot, all the bloody same, round here all hours, banging on his door and hanging off the bell"

"What do you mean "you lot"?"

"I mean no offence by it Duckie"

"No, its okay, I just mean... he's had other guys over"

The woman stared at him for a second

"Maybe I should learn to keep my mouth shut" She said before her slippered feet padded through her door which shut with a resolute crack.

Jack sat heavily down on the doorstep. The image of Ianto picking up other men, bringing them home. He felt a surge of possessiveness that he knew he had no right to feel lie heavily in his chest. He stood and continued to bang on the door.

"IANTO LET ME IN!" He yelled until his voice was horse.

"In a minute that door will go and you'll be letting yourself in, Sir" came a lilting welsh voice from behind him

Jack turned and saw Ianto stood at the bottom of the small garden, carrying a few armfuls of carrier bags

"Let me take those"

Ianto was too tired to argue and fished out his keys, carefully opening and shutting in his familiar ritual before going in and flopping on his old but well kept sofa.  
Jack walked through to the kitchen and started to unpack Iantos groceries.

"No, sir, its alright, I'll do it" Ianto called as he launched himself off the sofa and into the kitchen.

"I guess this means you've made that decision" Said Jack looking down at the little yellow hat

"What decision?"

"To keep it or not"

"To be honest Sir, that thought hadn't even crossed my mind. I Knew I was going to keep it"

"Lone parent family?" Asked Jack, seemingly casually.

"I haven't really spoken to the the other guy about it yet, he knows, but I have no idea how he feels" Ianto looked up, catching Jacks eye

"Why don't you ask him" Jack asked, his heart going into his mouth.

"How do you feel?"

"Are you sure?" he asked, feeling a grin spread over his face

Ianto folded the piece of paper from Owens machine out of his pocket and smoothed it down on the side, along with numbers and graphs the names Jack Harkness and Ianto Jones came through consistently.  
He pulled Ianto into a tender kiss. before bouncing on the spot, Grinning happily

"Just promise me one thing."

"What's that?"

"You won't sleep with anyone else whilst you're...?"

"I was only sleeping with..." A look of realization passed over his face "You've been talking to Sylvia haven't you?"

"The woman next door? Yeah"

"Just an old troublemaker, ignore her"

Ianto carried on putting away his shopping, butting any baby items on the small dining table.

"So what does this mean for us?" He asked

"What do you mean?"

"Do you love me?"

"No.. sorry"

"Don't worry, me neither, we'll just be good friends who bring up a baby together and occasionally shag each other"

"But nobody else"

"Ok"

"So, do you want to come back to the hub and see what got you into this condition?"

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Back at the hub, a few things had changed, for a start it was notably tidier, and the three remaining team members were sat on the couch, eating pizza, and chatting

"Any left for us?" Asked Jack as he walked through with Ianto

"Ianto, how you feeling sweetheart?" Asked Gwen, budging over so there was room for him to sit down

"I'm fine thanks, but... do any of you have chocolate?"

"Craving already?"

"Sort of, I don't know" stated Ianto, looking slightly embarrassed. "I keep feeling strange"

"That will be the female hormones mate"

"Theres some chocolate in the fridge, Yan" Said Tosh, feeling sorry for the awkward looking Ianto "go and help yourself

Ianto got the same, and taking off his jacket and tie, curled up on the sofa and rested his head on the arm, eating square after square and listening to the conversation with his eyes closed rather than joining in.

"We should let people know about that machine you know, childless couples all over the world, gay men, thousands of people would kill for the right to use it"

"But that would be dangerous, surely, only one machine, thousands like you say..."

"Should we pretend we never found it? or let the higher ups know?"

"I say forget"

"Me too"

"what do you think Ianto"

When Ianto didn't answer the team turned to look at him, breathing softly, and sound asleep. Jack shook him gently

"Yan, Ianto, come on we should get you home to bed"

Ianto snorted and sat up quickly

"I wasn't asleep.. What are you all laughing at"

Touching the side of his face, he realized that he had fallen asleep on his chocolate.


	6. Chapter 6

Title : The Bare Essentials

Rating: PG-13

Synopsis: Ianto notices a few strange changes in his body, What is the reason and what Can he do to stop it?

Disclaimer: All these Characters belong to the BBC, I just use them for my own silly purposes.

Authors note: This story is going to get decidedly a little darker now, Hope you still enjoy!

And so, life went on. Ianto grew steadily, and Jack became slowly more excited, and the couple grew closer together, usually with one staying over at the others, but "only incase something happened"

"Jack.." called Ianto, from his bedroom where they had both stayed the previous night. "These trousers have finally given up the ghost."

Jack walked through, to find Ianto stood in front of a mirror, with his Suit trousers straining across his stomach.

"I'm not going to be able to work in these"

"Maybe you should stay home, I'll pick up some on the way home"

"Its only been 3 months" Said Ianto, slightly disparagingly, looking down at the curve of his stomach.

"At least you can still leave the house, that just looks like too many takeaways at the minute"

Ianto flopped down on the bed and began to wriggle out of his trousers, and put on a pair of jogging bottoms with an elasticated waist.

"Much better" He said, smoothing his hand over. "I'm still not happy about taking time off work though."

"It'll be fine," Jack said kissing his temple "We can make our own coffee and clean up our own shit for a day"

Ianto nodded

"I've got to go," Jack said, Grabbing his keys off the side "I'll see you tonight" Pressing a kiss to Iantos cheek before leaving,  
crashing the door behind him.

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"Wheres Ianto" asked Tosh as Jack walked into the hub

"Outgrown another pair of trousers" laughed Jack.

"Jack...?" Called Owen "I think you should see this" He said holding out a piece of paper." I found it when I did extra checks on the information I had, it wasn't something that I really thought to look for."

"What does that mean?" Jack grinned, optimistically.

"There's two heartbeats"

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Ianto sighed and looked at the mess surrounding him and steeled himself to tidying.

"One thing I am good at" He thought going through Jacks Cupboards, finally finding the cleaning things that he wanted. Ianto was proud of his cleaning routines. Gwen thought it was cute, and that he was "Nesting" in preparation. Ianto briefly thought of strangling Gwen before shaking his head, and forcing himself to concentrate on cleaning the kitchen sides. The inappropriate thoughts were something that had been with him for a long time, but never like these, he had to really concentrate on the cleaning to take them away, imagining all the germs under the fluid dying, if he listened carefully he could almost hear them scream.

Shaking his head again his forehead creased into a frown. Why did these thoughts of screaming and killing keep coming into his head? Ianto felt the usual tightness in his chest, and rolling up his sleeve used his first finger the scratch at the same place compulsively.

"The thoughts will go away" He thought to himself over and over, until he looked down at his arm, seeing the pinpricks of blood the scratching had brought to the surface. As if in a dream he cleaned the wound and rolled his sleeve down. He cleaned the kitchen, and indeed the floor before cleaning his hands with bleach and then waking through to the lounge and lying on the sofa, Completely exhausted.

Then, it was as if the dream broke and he could see clearly. There was no connection between his obsessive killing thoughts and the compulsive scratching. There was only one thing which was clear to him. He was getting ill again, and he was afraid.


	7. Chapter 7

itle : The Bare Essentials

Rating: PG-13

Synopsis: Ianto notices a few strange changes in his body, What is the reason and what Can he do to stop it?

Disclaimer: All these Characters belong to the BBC, I just use them for my own silly purposes.

Authors note: There are mentions of self harm in this chapter.

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"There's two heartbeats" Owen repeated to a stunned Jack

"I've... I've got to go" Jack stuttered before walking quickly to his office. He sat at his desk with his head in his hands. Two heartbeats!  
The baby has two heartbeats. The baby has two heartbeats. The words just kept running through his head, how could Ianto have kept this from him?

Jack picked up the phone after a few more minutes and dialed his own home number. Back in his house, his phone rang and a sleepy Ianto answered it.

"Hello?"

"The baby has two heartbeats"

"Wha..?"

"The baby has two heartbeats"

Ianto blinked to himself, trying to make sense of what this meant.

"It's twins?" He finally came to the conclusion of.

"I'm coming to pick you up" Jack managed to choke out.

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Back at the hub, Ianto had a sense of deja vu as he was on Owens table with his shirt off.

"Well?" Asked Jack impatiently

"It is... it's twins" Said Owen finally,but with a look of worry on his face. "That explains the high hCG levels. You're probably not as far along as we first thought"

Jack from Owens first words relaxed, but however looked worried at Owens face. Finally Owen caught Jacks gaze and noted his small nod towards Ianto and the shake of his head. Owen caught his meaning and plastered on a smile.

"Congratulations!" He finally breathed, wiping off the jelly and handing Ianto back his shirt, Ianto looked up at Jack who wore an equally plastered on smile.

"What's going on?"

"You just need some rest, that's all. Get yourself up to the kitchen, get whatever you want to eat and get a nap, I'll take you home in a little while"

Ianto looked between the two, he was smart enough to be aware when something was being kept from him, but was clever enough to know not to challenge it,  
feeling tightness in his head as he walked away, he ground his teeth, biting the insides of his cheeks until he could taste the metallic tang of blood the stinging soothing his worries away, the outer pain lessening the inner, his mind sinking into dark like his body sinking into the sofa.

"Twins" He said softly to himself. He was going to have to be careful. He Wouldn't do anything that would have harmed his child anyway, but Owen would inevitably want to do plenty of checks on him, he'll have to have excuses.

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"What's wrong?" Asked Jack looking worried

"What's right?" Shot back Owen "Its the first ever bloke to have an oven, never mind baking two bloody buns in it. There are so many more complications with twins"

"We'll manage"

"We'll fucking have to, won't we." Owen said turning back to the screen. "He's going to be about 15 weeks."

Jack nodded

"I don't want him working. He stays at home and eats and watches Jeremy Kyle, or whatever else bedbound people are supposed to do"

"I can't see Ianto being happy with that"

"Tough, I want weekly checks too"

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	8. Chapter 8

Title : The Bare Essentials

Rating: PG-13

Synopsis: Ianto notices a few strange changes in his body, What is the reason and what Can he do to stop it?

Disclaimer: All these Characters belong to the BBC, I just use them for my own silly purposes.

Authors note: There are mentions of self harm in this chapter, also although this isn't technically a songfic/chapter/thing, it was inspired by "Fix you" by Coldplay.

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Ianto lay resting his head on the soft pillow, it had been a few weeks since he found he was carrying twins, and during that time his mental state had leveled out to an even keel of depression and general low mood. He and Jack had argued that morning, Jack telling him to "snap out of it", which Ianto had promised to do, and spent the whole morning attempting to ignore the guilt and shame which was slowly growing, leaving him with a headache and wore him out to the point at which he needed to take a nap, that he had now woken from. Stroking his swollen stomach in an attempt to soothe himself, he looked at his watch, if he was quick,  
he would have enough time to do what he had been obsessing over all day before Jack came home.

He made his way down the stairs and turned on the cooker to full blast, staring at it as it heated, heart thundering in his ears. The release would be soon.

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Jack sighed as he jumped into the SUV at the end of the day, stopping at a florist, he picked up a bunch of tulips, Ianto's favorite, meaning to apologise. He felt bad for the way he had treated the young Welshman that morning, and getting home early, ready to take him out to dinner was his perfect way of apologising. Ianto had been distant for the past few weeks, coming the bed fully clothed, and spurning all advances that Jack had made, He read on the Internet that some Women feel undesirable during pregnancy.

"Well," Jack thought to himself with a lecherous grin "Ianto will know later just how desirable I find him"

Opening the door quietly he tiptoed through to the kitchen, with the intention of putting the flowers into water, and going to wake Ianto who he assumed would be taking a nap, opening the kitchen door he stared down in horror at Ianto who was pressing his upper arm against the door of a very hot oven, his face twisted in pain and joy and relief.

"Ianto, what the hell are you doing?!" Jack shouted, panicking.

Ianto opened his eyes and jumped to his feet, shocked out of his stupor.

"NOTHING" He shouted unintentionally, then in a calmer voice "Nothing, I was doing nothing" Turning round to roll his sleeve down. "Are those for me? I'll get a vase"  
he said calmly, rummaging in a cupboard to find one as if nothing had happened.

At the apparent subject changing Ianto was trying to do Jack shook himself out of his shock, grabbing Iantos arm and running the sleeve back up, before putting it under a cold tap.

"What was you doing Ianto" Jack asked in a calmer voice.

"Nothing, I told you," Ianto said as he struggled away from Jacks grasp. "Don't, please,  
please lets not do this"

"You're hurting yourself." Jack stated, coming out as a plea "Talk to me."

Ianto sighed and leaned against the sink where the vase he had found was slowly filling

"What do you want me to say Jack? That I'm sorry? That I won't do it again?"

"How long?"

"Started long before I met you. This time, about a month"

"What about the babies Ianto, what happens to the babies if you die?"

"I'm not going to kill myself Jack, its just..." Resting his head on the cool marble of the kitchen side, he struggled to find the words to use, the throbbing in his arm distracting him. "I'm broken Jack, doing this, it makes me forget."

"Let me see"

"Please Jack.."

"Please..?" Jack questioned as he slipped Iantos shirt off his shoulders, looking into his eyes as he did small bruises covered most of Iantos arms, making him look like some kind of bizarre dalmatian. Jack looked up at him questioningly.

"It's from where I pinch myself" Ianto answered "Jack.." he pleaded as Jack walked around to his back, there were vicious nail marks on his shoulders, and the place where Ianto had burned himself, walking around to face Ianto again, Jack looked him full in the face.

"I wouldn't harm the babies Jack, I promise, I really wouldn't, I love them" Ianto began to get a lump in his throat at Jacks impassive expression. Feeling tears grow in his eyes he turned away and put his shirt back on, as he buttoned it up he felt Jacks warm arms encircle him, hands resting on his bump.

"I know," Jack uttered soothingly "Is this why you wouldn't let me near you?"

Ianto nodded slowly

"You need help"

"No, too much has passed, I'm broken Jack.." Ianto choked, feeling the tears return to his eyes.

"Let me fix you" Jack breathed into the back of Iantos neck.

Ianto breathed deeply, feeling his heart sink into his stomach and jump back up

"Okay"


	9. Chapter 9

Title : The Bare Essentials

Rating: M

Synopsis: Ianto notices a few strange changes in his body, What is the reason and what can he do to stop it?

Disclaimer: All these Characters belong to the BBC, I just use them for my own silly purposes.

Authors Note: Thank you all for your reviews, they are greatly appreciated!

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Ianto woke when the lamp outside his window finally flickered off to greet the grey morning. Remembering that he didn't have to be in that morning, he

twisted round into the waiting arms of Jack, who was still peacefully sleeping. Knowing that Jack wouldn't wake unless woken, he lay on his back and rubbed his ever growing bump, whilst yawning and rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. After "the incident" a few weeks ago, Jack had barely left his side,  
either Ianto going to the hub on light duties (no field work) or Jack occasionally taking the day off. Iantos mood had improved slightly, thanks to more care and attention, and the tiredness that had plagued him since day one finally starting to lift.

He thought that he had managed to get away with the nausea and sickness that most women suffered in early pregnancy, however it had decided to kick in around 15 weeks and he had spent most of the last fortnight getting better acquainted with the toilet bowl first thing in the morning. Ianto had been worried but was reassured by Owen, who shrugged and told him that certain things were going to be different between "normal" pregnancy and his. It was Owens lack of concern that reassured him, as Owen had been running test after test, until it had exhausted Ianto and Jack had stopped them, saying that if anything was seriously wrong, they would know.

As Ianto retched into the bowl, the fast paced padding of feet came down the hallway, and Jacks head poked round with a worried look, which relaxed when he realized Ianto was alright. Although he did not show it, the last few weeks had been a strain on Jack. Every time he had the chance, he discreetly removed things which he deemed "dangerous" from Iantos house. The result being Ianto turning up to work with designer stubble most mornings.

Ianto looked up at Jack after wiping his mouth.

"I wasn't doing anything you know." He said guiltily.

"I was just checking to see that you was alright."

"Yeah, I know." Ianto muttered, standing

There was an awkward silence as both men didn't want to discuss the elephant in the room, both eyeing each other through the bathroom mirror.

"It's not like I don't have reason to." Jack said eventually.

Ianto flushed.

"You're not that sneaky, sleeping with me, but only with the lights off.. the "accidents" at the Hub." Jack insinuated, making "quotation" marks with his fingers.

Ianto looked away, not being able to hold Jacks gaze.

"I may not be able to see them, but I can feel them." Jack said, Leaning into Iantos pajama'd back and kissing his neck.

"I'm sorry." said Ianto slowly.

"For what bit? The lying? Putting our children in danger?" Jack asked, grinding his teeth, his temper growing.

"Fucking hell Jack! I can't turn it on and off like a fucking robot." Ianto yelled, losing his cool.

Jack stood stunned, having not seen Ianto in such a temper before.

"But of course, I like scaring myself don't I? I like deceiving people! I should just fucking snap out of it shouldn't I?" He shouted, throwing Jacks words back at him.

"I should go."

"Yes, you fucking should." Ianto said, turning away.

"Just... don't..." Jack started, before getting a look from Ianto. He dressed quickly and left, pressing a kiss to Iantos unresponsive cheek.

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Jack drove madly through the city, coming finally to the hub, upon entering, he stalked up to his office, slamming the door.

"Trouble in paradise?" asked Gwen of Tosh, raising an eyebrow.

"Poor Ianto, Jacks probably been smothering him and hes been told to piss off." Tosh smiled back

Only Owen, with the knowledge of Iantos mental state remained quiet. He looked up to Jacks office, where Jack could be seen,  
sat at his desk, head in hands. A short while later, he discreetly walked up to Jacks office, entering without knocking and closing the door quietly behind him.

"What's going on?"

"What do you think? We had an argument." Stated Jack, knowing what Owen was talking about.

"And you walked out and left him alone? You fucking wanker!"

Jack looked up, confused, obviously expecting Owen to blame hormones.

"I may not be a psychologist, but remind me Jack, what happened last time you walked out on an argument?"

Comprehension dawned on Jacks face, but was replaced by annoyance a few seconds later.

"Don't kid yourself Owen, that wasn't the last time, hes been doing it all bloody along" He said, picking up a pen and looking busily at a piece of paper.

"What?"

"The incident with the coffee pot for starters." said Jack, still looking down.

Owen grimaced at the memory of Ianto, shaking, with a soaking wet arm where he had slipped slightly and the coffee had poured over his arm. Ianto had begged him to dress it. It was then he noticed the bruises, and Ianto had confided in him.

"And smaller bits at home."Jack finished, Slamming the pen down and looking at Owen "Whilst I'm there Owen, you know that's what makes it worse, he does it right under my nose and theres nothing I can do." Tears began to swell in his eyes. "How can you watch that happen to somebody you..." He trailed off.

The phone began to ring. Picking up on the third peal, his face became worried. "Ianto?"

"Jack you need to come, please its important." Ianto gasped down the line.

"I'm coming." He said clearly putting the phone down without an answer.

He looked up at Owen.

"I have to go, and I hope I'm wrong about the reason why."

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Ianto watched Jack from behind the net curtains as he slammed the car door and screeched off. Satisfied that he had gone, he opened the wardrobe and reached for the back. The anger in his chest was tangible in the air. In the lining of an old coat that he never wore, a Stanley knife was concealed. Flicking the blade up and down he scowled at it, throwing it across the room, chastising himself for being so weak. Looking over at where it landed he picked it up again,  
looking at his reflection in the blade.

Rage bubbled in his chest. Anger at himself, anger at Jack, anger at the fucking bastard who...

Growling, he the knife away for the final time. He turned to the wall and beat his fists against it, banged his head against it, the anger slowly disappearing. Standing away finally he wiped his face, which was covered in tears and mucus.

Ianto Stopped.

Something was not right, he grabbed his stomach as if in pain, and sank to the bed. He grabbed the phone. He needed Jack.

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Jack found himself driving madly through Cardiff for the second time that day, praying that he didn't get stopped. Even flashing the Torchwood card could cost him too much time. Finally squealing to a halt in front of Iantos house, He raced out the car and through the front door.

"Ianto" He shouted, aware of how panicked he sounded

"Up here." Called Ianto

Jack took the steps two at a time, and ran into the bedroom.

Whatever he had expected to see, it was not this. Ianto was lay on a fully made bed, looking the happiest Jack had ever seen him. His shirt was open and his bump showing through where his fingers were resting on it.

"I can do something right, they're going to be perfect." He whispered, almost to himself through unshed tears.

Jack stood in the doorway, hardly daring to come any nearer.

Ianto looked up into Jacks eyes.

"They're kicking." He managed to choke out, breaking into a huge grin.

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A/N Please review if you like this chapter, It makes me want to update quicker


	10. Chapter 10

Title : The Bare Essentials

Rating: M

Synopsis: Ianto notices a few strange changes in his body, What is the reason and what can he do to stop it?

Disclaimer: All these Characters belong to the BBC, I just use them for my own silly purposes.

Authors Note: Thank you all for your reviews, they are greatly appreciated!

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Jack smiled and walked out of the doorway, pulling Iantos shirt back to feel.

"I can't feel anything" He said slightly disappointed.

"I don't think you're meant to yet, they're still tiny, it doesn't feel like theres an actual other person in there, more like bubbles moving about" Ianto answered, lying his head back against the pillow.

"Are you alright" Jack finally asked climbing on the bed next to Ianto finally

"I will be," Ianto answered, a smile ghosting over his face.

"I should go back to work." Jack smiled, kissing him on his forehead. "Are you sure that you will be alright"

Ianto sat up, one hand resting on his bump before nodding and smiling reassuringly.

Jack stood in the doorway, and looked back at Ianto. The feeling in his stomach became tighter, swooping and lifting. The urge to stay there was massive.  
Before he could change his mind he gave a little wave and left.

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Jack entered the hub, a small smile playing on his face, almost immediately he was approached by Owen.

"Well how is he?" He asked anxiously

"How is who? Ianto? Is he okay?" asked Gwen, overhearing, and therefore being followed by Tosh

"He fine." Jack burbled excitedly "They're kicking" He said a smile cracking over his face.

Coos of "That's fantastic" and "Awww" Came from the three workmates, Gwen and Tosh smiling happily and Owen with a look of relief on his face.

"Come over and see him, its got to have been over a fortnight since he's seen anybody except me" Jack offered.

"I'm up for it" Agreed Tosh

Gwen nodded and smiled, as did Owen, before returning to work.

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Ianto got up and stood next to the wall that he had slashed, running his fingers over it. Impulsively he went to the kitchen and grabbed a plastic bag.  
Walking methodically from room to room he picked up everything that he had hidden from Jack. Broken pieces of glass inside a book in the front room, a small scalpel, stolen from Owen underneath the drawer tidy holding cutlery, and other numerous things that had been taped to the back of drawers that Jack was unlikely to go in, hidden in socks, and under the sofa.

Ianto finally came to the bathroom, picking up a large bottle of bath oil which was a white, sort of opalish colour. It was the kind that was meant to be displayed rather than used. Unscrewing the lid, he picked out a sandwich bag that he had hidden in there. His contingency plan. When Jack had caught him with the oven, one of the things he had got rid of was any and all pills. Ianto had been making daily trips to the corner shop, There was a different person there every day, and no questions were asked. He would pop the pills out of the packet and dispose of it in a neighbours recycling bin so Jack would not get suspicious.  
Ianto opened the bag, and poured around a hundred paracetamol out into his hand. He walked to the toilet and dropped them, turning his hand in slow motion into the bowl. Watching them for a few seconds, he flushed and watched them disappear. He was going to stop this. He was going to get better. He had a reason to keep going.


	11. Chapter 11

Title : The Bare Essentials

Rating: M

Synopsis: Ianto notices a few strange changes in his body, What is the reason and what can he do to stop it?

Disclaimer: All these Characters belong to the BBC, I just use them for my own silly purposes.

Authors Note: WARNING! This chapter contains explicit scenes.

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Ianto was pleased to see the others from the hub, but as he sat in his chair, he was just as pleased to see them go, he felt exhausted. He heard Owens final goodbye, and heard Jack shut the door behind him. He looked up as the older man came into the lounge, and smiled.

"That was nice" He smiled, and surprised himself by really meaning it.

Jack sat over on the couch and beckoned to Ianto to come and join him, Ianto waddled over and settled between Jacks legs, leaning on his chest.

"I'm fucking waddling." He thought to himself. "How sexy am I?"

He smiled to himself

"What you smiling about?" Jack asked, his hands wrapped around Ianto, one around his chest, one on his bump.

"Nothing really, I think I want to go to bed."

"Its only half eight!" Jack stated, looking up at Ianto with a worried look on his face. "Are you still tired? Feel Sick? Not sleeping?" He felt Iantos forehead "You're warm, maybe I should call Owen, he won't be far away."

Ianto pulled Jacks hand away from his forehead and kissed his knuckles gently.

"I wasn't going to go to sleep."

Jacks face, or at least Ianto imagined Jacks face, would look as if all birthdays and Christmases had come at once. Ianto hadn't initiated anything since he found out he was pregnant, and only followed Jacks lead a handful of times since then. He twisted around in Jacks arms, kissing him gently before taking his hand and leading him to the bedroom.

Ianto gently lay on the soft cotton duvet and lay back. Everything comfortable and familiar. The cotton of the duvet smelt of Iantos fabric conditioner,  
and the bedside lamp cast a friendly glow around the room. The shadows of himself and Jack fluttered against the drawn curtains. Jack gently climbed on top of Ianto kissing him gently, his hand roaming over his shoulder and down his chest before frowning up at him.

"How do you want ... I mean.. hows comfortable?" Jack asked awkwardly, making Ianto laugh. It had been a while since their last time, and Ianto had grown to the point where Jack could barely sit between his legs and kiss him. Jacks awkward face lightened at Iantos laughter.

"I want you like this" Ianto answered, lifting his legs so Jack was holding them in the crook of his arms.

Ianto felt slightly foolish, Jack could barely kiss him, but as he looked at Jack, his facial expression made his cock twitch. Jack looked so dominating,  
but not frightening, it just made Ianto feel safe, that Jack would never let anyone hurt him.

Jacks eyes darkened, it had been so long since he had seen Ianto like this, under him, wanting him. The last few months had been in the dark, taking Ianto from behind, and only if he promised that he'd "get it over and done with quickly". Jack took a second, looking at Ianto, before rolling to his side and gently kissing him. He stroked the younger mans cock, moaning as he felt it grow harder in his hand. Opening his eyes he caught Iantos gaze.

"I've missed you" Jack whispered

Ianto looked into his eyes, and kissed him again, his hands getting reacquainted with Jacks body, he brushed his hands over a nipple and Jack groaned into his mouth. He tried it again and Jack gently bit down on his lip. His hands wandered down, finally grasping the hardness that had previously been pressing into his thigh and beginning to rub gently.

"Please Jack..." Ianto gasped

Jack understood and getting back into the former position, he began preparing Ianto, applying lube and gently inserting fingers, making Ianto gasp and groan,  
his cock twitching with every noise that came from the mans beautiful mouth. He finally held Iantos hip with one hand and gently pushed in, electing a moan from both men. He picked up Iantos legs and held then at the knee, and began to press gentle thrusts into him.

Ianto moaned as Jack began to move in him, the thrusts were so gentle. He looked up at Jack. Sweat was starting to glisten on his chest and top lip, he was looking down at Ianto and smiling gently. Ianto smiled back and began to rub himself. Jack began to become slightly faster, sensing the need in Ianto.  
Jack smiled as he realized that Ianto was biting his lip, muttering in Welsh under his breath. Jack hadn't had sex like this before. Slow, careful, Jack smiled,

"The way a man should with his pregnant lover" He thought to himself.

Ianto was slipping closer to the edge, seeking out Jacks hand he held it in his own.

"Jack... I'm going to..." he gasped

"I know, me too.. " Jack moaned

Ianto tilted his head back as he came, moaning Jacks name, It was enough to send Jack over the edge, shuddering his release into Ianto. He sighed as he climbed off and cuddled up to Ianto, Spooning him.

"Goodnight Jack" Ianto whispered as he turned off the light.

"Goodnight Ianto" Jack whispered back.

"I love you" Ianto whispered hopefully.

But Jack was already asleep.


	12. Chapter 12

Title : The Bare Essentials

Rating: M

Synopsis: Ianto notices a few strange changes in his body, What is the reason and what can he do to stop it?

Disclaimer: All these Characters belong to the BBC, I just use them for my own silly purposes.

Authors Note: I really would recommend you have "unchained melody" by the Righteous Brothers playing in the background whilst you read this scene, it really helps to get you in the right frame of mind for it. Enjoy!

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By his 27th week, Ianto had started to feel more like his usual self again. Jack had supported him, and he even felt well enough to take on light duties at the hub again. Really light duties he smiled ruefully to himself. From the first day, he had gone into the kitchen to make coffee, to be thrown out by Tosh. He then bumped into Gwen who drew him over to the sofa for a long chat about nothing in particular. When she had finished, Tosh came over with hot chocolate and chocolate hobnobs (his favorite) and needed to talk to him, also about nothing in particular. It was only when Owen finally took over from Tosh (bringing a glass of orange Juice and carrot sticks with humus to dip them in) that he realised that it was a well orchestrated ruse. Finally surrendering, he had gone home.

Owens checks had shown that everything was fine with the babies, which was a weight off Iantos mind. Owen had told Ianto that because of the multiple birth,  
and the fact that the babies were already pressing on Iantos vital organs, he was going to operate when Ianto reached 34 weeks. Owen had already gone to the trouble of buying incubators, which were safely stowed away in the hub.

Stirring a sauce in a pan, he turned to the small table in the middle of the kitchen, lighting a candle on it. Looking at his watch, he figured Jack would be home at any second. He picked up the CD that had come through the post earlier that week. Smirking to himself at the cheesiness of it he popped it in the CD player. The sound of the the righteous brothers flowed from the speakers.

"Whoooa, my love, my darlin'I've hungered for your touch A long, lonely time."

Smiling to himself he turned away and set the table

"And time goes by so slowly, and time can do so much, are you still mine?"

Jack came in through the front door, and turned to go up the stairs.

"Jack?" Ianto called up the stairs. When there was no answer he climbed them to find Jack packing a suitcase on the bed

"What are you doing?" Ianto asked, slightly worried at the manic look on the older mans face

"I've got to go to Japan." He explained, not looking up, just to-ing and fro-ing between the wardrobe and the suitcase. "The Prime Minister's sending me,  
apparently they've got some problems, don't ask me what, I haven't been told, they just want me out there ASAP."

Ianto stood in silence

"Lonely rivers sigh Wait for me, wait for me I'll be comin' home, wait for me."

"How long for?" He eventually asked

"About two months."

"Two months?!" Ianto exclaimed "But the babies are due in seven weeks!" He could feel a lump starting to form in his throat.

"I know." Jack answered quietly "But theres nothing I can do."

Ianto didn't answer and Jack eventually closed the case, grabbing it ran down the stairs, followed by Ianto.

Jack turned to look back up at Ianto, who was stood in the middle of the staircase, his face ashen.

"Whoooa, my love, my darlin'I've hungered, hungered for your touch A long, lonely time." The player crooned out.

"Tosh and Gwen are with me. Owens staying behind." he said eventually.

Ianto nodded, not trusting himself to speak, barely able to look at Jack.

"I'm sorry." He said finally, as an impatient beep sounded from outside. He took the few steps and kissed Ianto, and raced out the door, slamming it behind him

"I love you" Jack whispered to himself, as he walked down the path.

Ianto stood in the hallway, tears streaking down his face.

"I need your love..." the song, sang reaching its crescendo, as Ianto went to the kitchen,stubbornly wiping his eyes.  
he turned the gas off, and blowing out the candle.  
"I, I need your love..." he lay down on his couch in semi-darkness, heaving sobs filling his chest, trying to ignore the pains in his stomach.

"God speed your love to me"


	13. Chapter 13

Title : The Bare Essentials

Rating: M

Synopsis: Ianto notices a few strange changes in his body, What is the reason and what can he do to stop it?

Disclaimer: All these Characters belong to the BBC, I just use them for my own silly purposes.

Authors Note: This chapter was probably the hardest to write out of the whole story! Hope you Enjoy!

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Jack sighed, slipping in the back of the SUV, which was being driven by Gwen. He leaned his head back against the leather of the chair covers and swallowed hard.

"Is he alright?" Asked Gwen softly, aware of how silly her question was sounding.

"As well as a depressed pregnant man who had just been told he's going to be giving birth without the father there can be" Jack answered with a sigh.

"You should have stayed"

"What? and send Owen in my place? That would work real well when the babies decide to come out and play" Jack answered with a flash of irritation. He was feeling enough of a bastard without his team judging him. He thought back to the crushed look on Iantos face and regretted the way he had treated him. He had barely looked at him, couldn't look at him. It would make it too real. He thought back to the song that was playing. Humming the line "I'll be coming home wait for me" unconsciously under his breath.

"Both of you could have stayed" Gwen said eventually

"Its not fair to send you two out there on your own" Jack answered, his anger placated for the moment. Mind drifting to the things he could pick up for the twins whilst in Japan.

"We'll try our best Jack, you never know, we might be back in time" Tosh said, turning round and looking at him.

Jack sighed and sat up. He picked up the mission report and read through it. His face was pulled back into that of a solider.

"Right," He started, with a weak smile "Huge dinosaur in Tokyo? We're going to need a lot of Retcon!"

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Ianto lay on his couch facing the Wall. The CD had long since finished playing, and the pain in his stomach had waxed and waned since then, He had finally found comfort lying in this position, a cushion under his bump, one under his head and one between his legs. The evening light had faded, and he was in the dark, apart from the blinking light of the DVD player, telling him it was past midnight. He had been holding the phone for around a half hour, considering calling Owen. Eventually he decided that this was emergency enough.

The tone rang for a few seconds, and Ianto was considering hanging up when Owens gravelly voice came down the line.

"Who is this? You better have a bloody good reason for ringing me right now" Owen growled, and Ianto heard the sound of a woman giggling in the background. he squeezed his eyes shut at the mental image of what he had interrupted

"It's me" Answered Ianto, hearing Owen shift.

"What is it?" Owens voice sounding a mix between irritation and concern.

"I've got... pain"

"I'm coming" Owen answered, needing no further explanation

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On arriving, Owen took one look at Iantos face, who seemed to be extremely uncomfortable. He spent time feeling his stomach, and asking about the pain. He finally sat back and removed the stethoscope from his ears, whilst Ianto looked up nervously.

"You're in the early stage of labor" Owen answered, deciding to cut the bullshit.

"Are they okay?"

"They're fine, no distress." Owen answered, running a hand through his hair "I honestly don't know what to do"

Ianto began to feel his face flush, and his heart race. If Owen didn't know then it was dangerous. He watched Owen feel in his bag and pull out an injection that he began to draw up, which he then injected into Iantos thigh.

"Tocolytics" he stated, answering the unanswered question. "Put off labor for up to 48 hours"

Ianto shook his head slowly

"It's too soon" He said, guilt washing over him. If only he hadn't't allowed himself to become so stressed, if only he had seen someone, talked to someone, something, anything. He thought of the sneaky finger of whisky he had had when things had got to much, or the cigarette that he had filched off a man in the street the day he had first found out. Things that he justified to himself at the time through his haze of self loathing.

"The thing is, they aren't in any distress, the placentas aren't detaching themselves from the lining, its like they're sleeping through an earthquake."

He shook his head quickly at Iantos distressed look

"They're fine! Healthy strong heartbeats" He said putting his hands up "But I want you at the hub now, just in case, and nothing but bedrest. Hopefully it will be a false start"

Ianto nodded miserably

"I'll go pack you a bag now"

He sat up off the couch and watched Owen climb the stairs. He had to wait, wait for Jack. 


	14. Chapter 14

Title : The Bare Essentials

Rating: PG-13

Synoposis: Ianto notices a few strange changes in his body, What is the reason and what Can he do to stop it?

Disclaimer: All these Characters belong to the BBC, I just use them for my own silly purposes.

Authors note: Final chapter! Thank you for all your lovely reviews! Sequel y/n?

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The weeks rolled by, too slowly for Iantos liking. With Jack not there, and the guilt washing over him, blaming himself for the early labor, Ianto slipped back into depression. Owen tried to cheer him up, but failed. Ianto just spent most of his time asleep, or brooding, facial features only lightening when the babies kicked. His labor had finally stopped. The pain had eased the moment that Owen had injected the drugs.

Ianto had spoken to Jack briefly on the phone,but kept from him what had happened. Apparently they were doing fine, but not too much was spoken about the mission, or Iantos condition, as the phone lines were easily tapped. Ianto didn't know, but Jack had finished up early, just as Tosh had promised they would. Now that the danger was out of the way, The girls had insisted that they man the cleanup operation, whilst Jack should return home to Ianto.

Which easier said then done, Jack thought as he rumbled along on a train from London. The planes had been stopped, which was no surprise given the cleanup operation which was going on, and the disaster that had just occurred. He picked up his bag as Cardiff came into view. Stepping off the platform his phone rang. Looking at the caller display, he realised that it was Owen, smiling to himself. He had told Owen that he was returning and assumed it was the doctor offering him a lift from the station.

"Hello?" Jack said answering the phone

"Jack! move your fucking arse, they're coming" Owens panicked voice came, swiftly hanging up the phone.

Jack deposited the phone into his pocket, running the the kerbside and holding out his hand

"TAXI!"

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"It was over" Ianto remembered thinking, looking down at the two lifeless forms in his arms. So small, both of them hardly bigger than a biro. His beautiful daughter and his handsome son. He couldn't cry, he just felt numb. It felt as if he was outside his body watching the scene. The labor had eventually started again, and didn't respond to the drugs this time. Owen had to operate to save his life and give the twins the best fighting chance. The best fighting chance wasn't good enough, Ianto thought, a heartbroken sob finally breaking from his chest.

Owen eventually lifted them from his arms and with the greatest of respect and care, placed them in the crib. Together. He gently lifted the baby blanket over their faces. Ianto watched him fill a needle and inject him in his veins before slipping into nothingness.

Jack broke into the hub, a triumphant smile on his face, which dropped after seeing Owens face.

"You're too late" Owen told him. "I'm so sorry Jack."

Jack understood why Owen would be upset, but it was okay, he could watch the birth on the CCTV

"Where are they? Can I see them?"

"They're gone Jack, They didn't survive"

Jacks face blanched, his lips pressed together until white.

"Wheres Ianto?"

"He's sleeping in your room, I sedated him."

Jack ran down to his room under the hub.

It was Empty.

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Ianto was surprised by how quickly the sedative had worn off. He was equally surprised that he had the strength of mind to get up here, he thought as he looked down from the top of the tall building. The only thing which surpassed his surprise was the emotional turmoil he was going through. His babies. His sweet children. He had longed to see them grow. Now they would forever be small enough to fit into their Tads hand.

He choked back a sob. It was best that he did this now. Jack would be better off without him. He could find someone who was capable of carrying his children. Who wasn't so sickly and ill and shit as him.

"Ianto." a soft voice came from behind him

"I'm sorry Jack" He answered, without turning round "I'm sorry that I can't do anything right"

"They're alive Yan, I kissed them, like I kissed you after Lisa"

"You're lying" Ianto shouted, suddenly angry "Don't you fucking desecrate our children to save my fucking life" He screamed, finally turning to face him,  
his face red from shouting, and fear and and anger. He turned and faced downwards, the height giving him vertigo.

"Please Yan, come with me, Let me prove it"

Ianto hesitated.

"Fucking Hell Ianto, please, They need you, I need you. I Fucking love you"

The earth felt like it had tilted on its axis

"Please don't leave me." Jack pleaded, holding his hand out

Ianto shook him head, lip quivering. He leaned forward and stepped off the ledge.

And into Jacks arms, hugging him and sobbing into Jacks shoulder. Jack whispering loving things into his ear

"I love you too Jack" Ianto cried into his shoulder.

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Jack helped him stagger back to the hub, the giant cog cranking back. Ianto sought out Owen with his eyes, he had to know if what Jack had said was true,  
he spotted Owen sat on the sofa, two bundles in his arms, gasping for air he struggled forward, sobbing when a triumphant cry came from one, quickly followed by their sibling who obviously objected to being woken.

Owen brought them down, handing one to Jack, one to Ianto, who had been seated by Jack. Ianto looked down at the pink face of his daughter, although she was small, it was as if she had grown, as if she was only weeks early. Ianto didn't question it and put it down to Jacks healing. He smiled up at Jack through tired eyes.

Jack kneeled, letting Ianto look at his healthy son, who was slowly falling asleep.

Jack cleared his throat gently.

"I told you, I didn't lie about anything up there" He said meaningfully

"I love you too Jack" Ianto answered, catching his meaning

"Quite right too"

fin


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